USDA defends response to screwworm as cases of parasite inch closer to Texas border
The USDA is addressing concerns about the New World screwworm, which is now just 25 miles from the Texas border. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins emphasized the seriousness of the threat to Texas's livestock industry, while local officials criticized the government's response. The situation has prompted calls for a state-led emergency response as the screwworm poses a significant risk to agriculture.
- ▪The New World screwworm is now 25 miles from the Texas border, down from 187 miles in February.
- ▪Rollins reported that the screwworm was found in a goat in Mexico's Coahuila state, marking the closest confirmed case to the U.S. border.
- ▪Texas currently has access to only 100 million sterile flies weekly, compared to 700 million during the last major outbreak.
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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday that the New World screwworm is just miles from the southern border as concerns build about the Trump administration’s response to the parasitic pest. The screwworm was 187 miles from the Texas border in February. It is now 25 miles from the Texas border, Rollins said in an update on the parasite, which could pose a sweeping threat to the state’s multibillion-dollar livestock industry. Her remarks came as Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) emphasized fears in Texas that the Department of Agriculture’s response to the crisis is lacking, with nearly $2 billion in damage to the state’s economy at stake.
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